The present invention relates to sports equipment bags and more particularly to a novel method to expand the use of sports bag from transport/protection utility only to also drying and optional scenting utility.
Sports equipment, and notably hockey and football equipment, is often comprised of many items for the individual user. Together these many items make for a bulky and unwieldy combination of items to move from place to place. Thus, this sports equipment is usually transported in a bag.
Sports equipment has a near legendary reputation for becoming wet from sweat, and for becoming foul-smelling as well. The foul smelling sports equipment, and the space necessary to dry it, is currently an ongoing source of conflict in many living situations. Players are often forced to dry their sports equipment in risky, unsuitable, or destructive environments, such as back yards, garages, balconies, where they may be subject to theft or cold or damp weather.
Also, since many games are played in close proximity to each other from a time perspective, a player often does not have enough time to dry the equipment before the next use. This makes for a clammy and unpleasant feeling; putting on wet equipment.
In current practice, the problems of wetness and foul smell are addressed in the following ways.
For wetness, the sports equipment is removed from the sports bag, and spread out to dry on racks, on the ground, or in the sun, and then, when the equipment is dry, the equipment is placed back into the sports bag. This requires diligence and lengthy periods of time.
For foul odor, it is common practice to place aroma packs, air fresheners and the like into the sports equipment bag. However, if the sports equipment is not removed from the bag to dry, the air fresheners effect is greatly minimized.
Hanging drying and/or anti-wrinkling bags for clothes are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,555,648 (Griffin) issued Sep. 17, 1996; 5,730,006 (Conley) issued Mar. 24, 1998; 4,572,364 (Jordan) issued Feb. 25, 1986 and 3,739,492 (Brooks) issued Jun. 19, 1973 but none of these is suitable for sporting equipment including pads and the like which are awkward and bulky and many of these include heat and/or steam which are unsuitable for the sports equipment.
There remains then, an opportunity to improve the situation. The present invention allows for such improvement.
The present invention is concerned with a method and apparatus to allow wet and foul smelling sports equipment to remain in the sports bag and yet, while still remaining in the sports bag, the equipment will become dry and fairer smelling.
According to the present invention, there is provided a method for drying sporting equipment and the like comprising:
transporting the sporting equipment in a sporting equipment bag having a filler opening through which the equipment is inserted into the bag and handles for carrying the bag;
with the equipment in the bag, closing the opening of the bag;
providing an air flow opening in the bag separate from the filler opening;
attaching a blower fan to the air flow opening of the bag;
and actuating the fan to force air into the bag until the sporting equipment is dry from the air passing around the sporting equipment and escaping from the bag.
While the present invention has been described in the context of sporting equipment, it is apparent that the present invention will in practice be used to dry various items, not just sports equipment. Many other activities make use of bulky items which require drying or scenting. It will be used as a general purpose dryer.
Also, the size of the bag and fan can theoretically have no limit and be applied to many different things.
While the bag is included as an element of this construction, it will be appreciated that the present invention may be sold as a kit of parts for assembly into a bag so that an existing bag will be formed into a drying arrangement according to the present invention.
The bag may have a second air flow opening generally opposite to the first air flow opening or optionally, air may escape through the existing filler opening.
Preferably the air flow opening or openings is covered by a screen or mesh or a more rigid grid arranged to prevent the passage through the airflow opening of the equipment within the bag.
Preferably the fan includes a fan housing and wherein the airflow opening includes a peripheral engagement member engaged around a periphery of the fan housing such that the fan and fan housing are contained within the peripheral engagement member.
Preferably there is provided an air freshener in a pocket at or adjacent the bag airflow opening.
Preferably the filler opening is arranged at a top of the bag and the bag includes a bottom wall for sitting on a support surface and side walls standing upwardly from the bottom wall with the sporting equipment resting on the bottom wall and wherein the airflow opening is in one side wall.
Preferably two of the side walls are at ends that is the walls generally at right angles to the length of the handles and the airflow opening is in one end. However the openings may be located at other places in the bag wall, but generally not in the bottom where the bag can simply sit on its bottom with the equipment resting against the bottom. Such handles are generally attached to the sides or to straps extending around the sides with the insertion opening parallel to the handles but other constructions may be included.
Preferably the air flow opening includes a mounting ring having a peripheral clamping arrangement for clamping the fabric of the bag which has a first ring element on one side of the wall and a second ring element on the other side of the wall for clamping the fabric wall of the bag therebetween and the fan includes a fan housing which fits into the ring and locks in place. However the fan may also be permanently attached to the bag so as to be carried thereby and be available at all times and places for the drying action.
Preferably the ring includes a screen having a concave outside face and the fan housing includes a screen having a convex face fitting against the screen of the ring.
Preferably a second rigid ring similar to or identical to the mounting ring is arranged in a wall of the bag opposite to the mounting ring. The use of the same ring structure reduces cost of manufacture by avoiding the necessity for different parts.
Preferably there is provided an air freshener housing located on an outside face of the fan housing of the fan where the air freshener housing can be opened and closed to allow entry of more or less of the air freshener material.
According to a second aspect of the invention there is provided a fan assembly for mounting on a fabric wall of a bag comprising:
a mounting ring having a peripheral clamping arrangement for clamping the fabric of the bag for supporting the ring in a hole in the wall;
and a fan having a fan housing which fits into the ring and locks in place in the ring so as to blow air through the ring into the bag.
The purpose of the detachable fan is so that the fan can remain safely at home while the bag is in use. Also, this makes the bag lighter, not having to carry the fan around. However as an alternate embodiment it would be possible to have the fan permanently mounted. This would have the benefit of not having to attach and detach the fan, but would add slight weight to the bag.
Another option would be to secure the existing fan as described in the drawings permanently to the mounting rings by means of a bolt or screw, thus locking the fan into place.
According to a third aspect of the invention there is provided an apparatus for drying sporting equipment and the like comprising:
a sporting equipment bag having a bag bottom, bag side walls standing upwardly from the bag bottom, a closable filler opening through which the equipment is inserted into the bag and handles on the bag side walls for carrying the bag;
an air flow opening in at least one of the bag side walls separate from the filler opening;
and a blower fan for mounting into the air flow opening of the bag.
The invention as defined above may have one or more of the following advantages.
Since the equipment remains in the sports bag, extra space is not needed to dry the equipment. This also results in less conflict for those individuals who share the space in which the sports equipment would be dried by traditional methods.
Since the equipment remains in the sports bag, extra effort of spreading or hanging the equipment is not needed to dry the equipment.
Since the present invention allows for easy drying and scenting of sports equipment, the overall pleasure in participating in the sport for which the equipment is designed, is increased.
Since the equipment remains in the bag, and since it is scented during the proposed drying process, little to no foul smell is present outside the bag, quite unlike traditional drying methods.
Since the equipment can be easily dried quickly on a regular basis, the growth of bacteria on the sports equipment is greatly minimized
In preferred embodiments, the blower fan would have an on-off switch and a timer. In preferred embodiments, the fan does not have a heating function, as heat drying may degrade sports equipment, especially parts made of leather. However a low heating action which does not excessively heat the equipment may also be possible.